Your iPhone has a HIDDEN camera feature that almost no one knows about
HIDDEN in your iPhone’s camera is a clever feature that you might recognise from Instagram.
The Boomerang feature is a popular trick on the photo app – but your iPhone can make them using the default camera too.
If you haven’t used Boomerang, you’re missing out.
It’s a fun feature that makes animated photos that bounce forwards and backwards.
Instagram launched a dedicated Boomerang video app way back in 2015.
And it brought Boomerang into Instagram properly in 2020.
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But there’s a way to make your own using Apple’s Live Photo feature on an iPhone.
If you’ve got Live Photos turned on, images that you capture will contain short video clips on either side.
When you hold your finger down on a Live Photo, it’ll play a small clip.
The feature has been around for years, debuting way back on the iPhone 6S.
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A few years later, Apple also added a Boomerang-style effect.
How to create Boomerang through iPhone camera
To make it work, first make sure that you’re running a recent version of iOS.
Go into Settings > General > Software Update to check – or read our guide on how to update your iPhone.
Now open your iPhone camera and tap Live Photo.
It’s the circle in the top-right – when it’s off, a line will appear through it. Make sure there’s no line through the circle.
Then take a photo of whatever you want, but preferably of a scene with some motion.
Now go into your Photos app and open the image.
In the top-left, you’ll see a small piece of text that says “Live” – tap that.
Now you can choose between four different options.
You’ll want to select the bottom choice: Bounce.
This creates a Boomerang-style photo on your iPhone.
But you can also use this feature to create looped animated images or long-exposure shots too.
How to use Instagram Boomerang
You can also rely on Instagram to create a regular Boomerang.
First, make sure you Instagram app is updated with the latest software.
Then open the app’s camera and go to upload a Story.
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On the left you’ll see an option for Boomerang – it looks like an infinity symbol.
This will let you quickly create a Boomerang inside Instagram, allowing you to instantly share it.
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